Guillaume Brahimi, the chef whose flagship fine-diner Guillaume at Bennelong will close its doors to make way for Bennelong by Stokehouse at the end of the year, has announced the location for his new venue: he’ll be taking over Darcy’s in Paddington, in the city’s eastern suburbs.
“For me it is one of the best restaurant sites in Sydney,” says Brahimi. “It feels like a private home – beautiful and intimate – and it has personal significance to me because my wife and I dined there to celebrate the birth of our first daughter.”
The restaurant, which will be called Guillaume, will offer a menu that reflects Brahimi’s “philosophy for high-quality, produce-driven food” in a flexible format that puts the diner in the driver’s seat.
“It will allow the diner to choose their dining experience,” says Brahimi. “They can have a number of courses, or just come for one.”
The restaurant is set to open in April and Brahimi tells us he’s looking forward to starting anew.
“It’s fun and exhilarating to start afresh,” he says. “For me it’s an opportunity to do some new things and also take the best of Bennelong and what we have learned throughout the years there.”